Aristotelian Appeals: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos Whenever you read an argument you must ask yourself, “Is this persuasive? If so, why? And to whom?” There are many ways to appeal to an audience. Among them are appealing to logos, ethos, and pathos. These appeals are identifiable in almost all arguments. To Appeal to LOGOS (logic, reasoning)

To Develop or Appeal to ETHOS (character, ethics)

To Appeal to PATHOS (emotion)

: the argument itself; the reasoning the author uses; logical evidence

: how an author builds credibility & trustworthiness

: words or passages an author uses to activate emotions

Types of LOGOS Appeals

Ways to Develop ETHOS

Types of PATHOS Appeals

• Theories / scientific facts • Indicated meanings or reasons

(because…) • Literal or historical analogies • Definitions • Factual data & statistics • Quotations • Citations from experts &

authorities • Informed opinions • Examples (real life examples) • Personal anecdotes

• Author’s profession /

background • Author’s publication • Appearing sincere, fair minded,

knowledgeable • Conceding to opposition where

appropriate • Morally / ethically likeable • Appropriate language for

audience and subject • Appropriate vocabulary • Correct grammar • Professional format

• Emotionally loaded language • Vivid descriptions • Emotional examples • Anecdotes, testimonies, or

narratives about emotional experiences or events

• Figurative language • Emotional tone (humor,

sarcasm, disappointment, excitement, etc.)

Effect on Audience

Effect on Audience

Effect on Audience

Evokes a cognitive, rational response. Readers get a sense of, “Oh, that makes sense” or “Hmm, that really doesn’t prove anything.”

Helps reader to see the author as reliable, trustworthy, competent, and credible. The reader might respect the author or his/her views.

Evokes an emotional response. Persuasion by emotion. (usually evoking fear, sympathy, empathy, anger,)

How to Talk About It

How to Talk About It

How to Talk About It

The author appeals to logos by defining relevant terms and then supports his claim with numerous citations from authorities. The author’s use of statistics and expert testimony are very convincing logos appeals.

Through his use of scientific terminology, the author builds his ethos by demonstrating expertise. The author’s ethos is effectively developed as readers see that he is sympathetic to the struggles minorities face.

When referencing 9/11, the author is appealing to pathos. Here, he is eliciting both sadness and anger from his readers. The author’s description of the child with cancer was a very persuasive appeal to pathos.

Introducing  the  Aristotelian  Appeals:  Advertisement  Activity  

Alicia  Upano    Time:     50-­‐75  minutes    Materials:     Logos,  Ethos,  Pathos  Handout,  advertisement  overheads  or  online  commercial,  

follow-­‐up  HW  assignment  on  a  visual  or  written  text    Overview:     First,  introduce  students  to  the  Aristotelian  appeals.    Then,  have  students  recognize  

and  discuss  the  different  appeals  in  three  appropriate  advertisements.    Next,  assign  group  work  where  students  create  their  own  advertisements  and  share  with  the  class.    Last,  assign  additional  work  where  students  must  do  a  rhetorical  analysis  or  either  a  visual  or  written  text.      

   Warm-­‐up:  5-­‐15  minutes      

1. Give  students  background  information  on  the  appeals.      a. Remind  students  that  our  focus  is  on  what  a  text  does,  not  on  what  it  says.    When  

performing  rhetorical  analyses  of  arguments,  we  look  at  what  “moves”  an  author  makes  in  hopes  of  persuading  his  claims.      

b. Write  on  the  board  ‘Aristotelian  Appeals’.    Ask,  “What  word/name  can  we  pull  from  this  term?”  

c. Give  background:  In  Ancient  Greece,  Aristotle  (our  “father”  of  rhetoric)  studied  the  art  of  persuasion  and  found  that  the  ways  all  rhetors  appeal  to  their  audiences  can  be  categorized  in  three  ways.  

d. Write  on  the  board  ‘Logos,  Ethos,  Pathos.’    Elicit  student  responses  to  guess  what  these  different  appeals  are  (think  roots:  logos/logic;  ethos/ethics;  pathos/sympathy)    

e. Have  students  brainstorm  and  call  out  how  might  rhetors  appeal  to  an  audience  using  logos.    Ethos?    Pathos?    Jot  down  their  answers  on  the  board.  

 Also  consider  showing  this  short  video  (6  minutes  or  so)  explaining  the  Aristotelian  appeals.    It’s  a  bit  corny  (made  for  middle  school  students),  but  it  gets  the  job  done.    This  can  be  used  in  addition  to  or  in  replacement  of  your  introduction.  

 http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8e6ffede7cf8b4825fe3  

   

Introduce  the  Aristotelian  Appeals  using  the  Handout  and  Overheads:  10-­‐15  minutes      

1. Pass  out  the  Logos,  Ethos,  Pathos    handout.    Go  over  the  handout  with  the  class.    Point  out  the  language  that  is  used  when  talking  about  the  appeals.    

 2. When  appropriate,  make  comments  connecting  back  to  the  email  activity.    See  the  examples  

below  for  help.            

a. In  writing  a  persuasive  email  to  the  instructor,  how  did  the  student  appeal  to  logos?  i. Reasoning:  x  happened,  so  it  was  impossible  to  be  in  class  ii. Doctor’s  note  /  death  certificate  iii. Letter  from  coach  

 b. Ethos?  

i. Apologize  /  take  responsibility    ii. Greet  professor  professionally  /  “speak”  respectfully  iii. Assure  your  proactive,  hardworking,  willing  to  do  what  it  takes  

 c. Pathos?  

i. Tell  a  sad  story  of  what  happened  ii. Tell  a  sad  story  of  what  will  happen  if  you  fail  iii. Plead  for  forgiveness  

 3. Show  different  advertisements  (overheads  or  commercials)  and  discuss  how  each  appeals  to  

the  audience.    You  can  take  time  here  discussing  the  visual  text’s  argument  and  audience.    Make  sure  students  use  academic  language  to  analyze  and  discuss  the  ad  (see  the  examples  on  the  handout).  

a. Talk about the ads rhetorically i. What is the ad DOING (what rhetorical appeal? To what audience?)

ii. How is the ad DOING it? (describe what’s going on) iii. Is it effective? (use analytical term)

   

Assign  Additional  Work  in  Class  or  for  HW  (5-­‐20  minutes)      In-­‐class  Activities  for  Creating  Ads  using  Ethos/Pathos/Logos    

1)   Three  Large  Groups  Creating  an  Ad  Divide  the  class  into  three  large  groups  (8-­‐9  students  each).    Do  one  of  the  following.    

a) Assign  each  group  the  task  of  creating  an  ad  for  A)  ethos,  B)  pathos,  or  C)  logos.    This  activity  is  most  effective  if  you  use  the  same  company,  say  Nike,  for  the  whole  class.    This  way  they  can  see  how  very  different  the  same  product  can  be  promoted  depending  on  which  rhetorical  appeal  is  emphasized.    Groups  share  in  class  and/or  write  something  up  as  homework.    

 b) Assign  each  group  the  task  of  creating  an  ad  where  they  must  persuade  their  

audience  using  ALL  three  of  the  appeals.    This  can  help  to  emphasize  the  idea  that  most  arguments  utilize  a  balance  of  ethos,  pathos,  and  logos  when  attempting  to  convince  their  audience.    Assign  various  or  the  same  company  or  let  students  choose.    Groups  share  in  class  and/or  write  something  up  as  homework.            

 2)   Several  Small  Groups  Creating  an  Ad  

Ask  your  class  to  get  into  groups  of  three  and  assign  each  group  to  one  box  in  the  chart  below.    Groups  share  in  class  and/or  write  something  up  as  homework.            

    UPS   Coca  Cola   Nike  

 Ethos  

 Group  A  

 B  

 C  

 Pathos  

 D  

 E  

 F  

 Logos  

 G  

 H  

 I  

 

 Regardless  of  which  group  size  you  choose,  you  will  then  need  to  assign  the  type  of  ad  they  will  be  creating:    

a) Magazine  Ad  You  may  want  to  bring  in  blank  overhead  sheets  and  markers  to  allow  each  group  to  create  a  layout  of  what  their  magazine  page  would  look  like.  

 b) Television  Commercial  

Your  students  can  describe  their  proposed  commercial  frame  by  frame,  or  get  up  together  as  a  group  and  narrate/act  it  out  that  class  or  the  next.  

   

3)   Give  a  Pitch  to  a  Company  A  third  option  can  be  either  an  in-­‐class  or  take  home  assignment  and  it  can  also  be  done  in  groups  or  individually.  The  students,  pretending  they  are  advertising  executives,  will  write  a  sales  pitch  to  a  company  with  a  proposed  advertisement.    They  need  to  use  persuasive  language  and  all  three  rhetorical  appeals  when  describing  not  just  what  their  advertisement  will  be,  but  also  how  it  will  work.    For  example:  (to  Nike  executives)  The  ad  will  never  actually  use  the  word  “Nike”  but  instead,  will  have  your  signature  swoosh  at  the  bottom  of  the  image.    We  believe  that  because  your  company  is  so  well-­‐known  and  has  firmly  built  up  its  ethos  that  using  both  “Nike”  and  the  swoosh  seems  redundant.    The  ever  presence  of  the  swoosh  will  represent  your  company’s  strong  foundation.  

   Out  -­‐of-­‐class  Writing  Assignments  for  Analyzing  Ads  using  Ethos/Pathos/Logos    

1) Analyze  a  Magazine  Ad  Students  find  an  ad  online,  print  it  out,  and  write  a  one  page  rhetorical  analysis  focusing  on  how  the  ad  appeals  to  logos,  ethos,  and/or  pathos.      

 2) Analyze  Your  own  Advertisement  

Students  draw  or  write-­‐up  an  advertisement  (either  created  in  class  with  their  groups  or  on  their  own  at  home).    Then,  students  write  a  one  page  analysis  of  their  advertisement  focusing  on  how  it  appeals  to  logos,  ethos,  and/or  pathos.  

 3) Analyze  a  Written  Text  

Students  are  assigned  to  read  a  pre-­‐selected  short  text  at  home  and  write  a  one  page  analysis  describing  how  the  author  appeals  to  logos,  pathos,  and/or  ethos.